Camino de Santiago is an increasingly popular choice for a sustainable holiday, attracting nearly half a million visitors each year. Known for being a cultural or spiritual experience, the Camino is also one of the most sustainable ways to travel across Europe – here’s why.
Reducing Your Carbon Footprint
Walking the Camino, by nature, is a low-emission activity. Once you begin your route, you’re typically not using any other means of transportation. For 7 days or longer, you simply walk from one town to another, staying in a different hotel each night. Even if you need to fly or take a train to your starting point, the overall environmental impact of your trip is significantly lower than that of a traditional holiday, which often relies on car journeys, cruises, domestic flights and public transport.
Moreover, the Camino de Santiago travel agencies are committed to lowering the environmental impact of their services. One of the leading specialists, Orbis Ways, goes a step further, compensating the CO2 emissions associated with your trip. They also arrange comfortable, local accommodation options, usually located within easy reach by foot, so you don’t have to get a taxi.
Not just that, sustainability and preservation is part of the Camino’s ethos. The community encourages the “leave no trace” principle, making sure that everyone respects their surroundings and leaves nature spots as they found them, without waste or damage.
Supporting Local Communities Sustainably
One of the Camino’s strengths is its ability to distribute tourism in a balanced way across the country, rather than concentrating all visitors in busy urban centres. Since the route passes through hundreds of small towns and villages, travellers will stop by family-owned cafes for a meal or an independent shop for supplies. This helps support local communities, creating a steady flow of income for small businesses, not just international chains.
Additionally, walking holidays are all about experiencing the true, authentic side of your chosen destination. As you visit small villages, try the local produce from the markets, stay in independent hotels and buy souvenirs from artisan craft shops, you’re fully immersing yourself into the culture. In turn, you also help support traditional industries and protect cultural heritage.
Choosing A More Mindful Approach To Travel
Walking day after day encourages you to really take in your surroundings, in a way that’s simply not possible on a typical, fast-paced holiday. Mindfulness is at the very core of the Camino experience, as pilgrims use this slower rhythm to get back in touch with nature as well as themselves.
One step at the time, you start to appreciate the simple joys in life, whether it’s the fresh smell of the forests or the birds nesting along the coastlines. And, as a result, the Camino also gains you a deeper respect for our Mother Nature.
Greener Ways To See The World
We all deserve to have holidays and explore the beautiful world that we live in. However, some types of holidays are a lot more harmful to the environment than the others. The Camino de Santiago is a great example of a sustainable holiday. How you can travel with minimal emissions, without compromising on the experience.
Collaborative Post
Good read! Makes me want to go there myself.